WebView for Android

Since Android 4.4 (KitKat), the WebView component is based on the Chromium
open source project. WebViews now include an updated version of the V8
JavaScript engine and support for modern web standards
previously missing in old WebViews.
New Webviews also share the same rendering engine as Chrome for Android,
so rendering should be much more consistent between the WebView and Chrome.

In Android 5.0 (Lollipop), the WebView has moved to an APK
so it can be updated seperately to the Android platform.
To see what version of Chrome is currently used on a Lollipop device,
simply go to Settings < Apps < Android System WebView
and look at the version.

WebView FAQ

What version of Chrome is it based on?

The WebView shipped with Android 4.4 (KitKat) is based on the same code as
Chrome for Android version 30. This WebView does not have full feature parity with
Chrome for Android and is given the version number 30.0.0.0.

The updated WebView shipped with Android 4.4.3 has the version number 33.0.0.0.

Caution: You cannot publish apps using the L Developer Preview to the Google Play store.

The WebView in Android L can be updated via the Play Store, so you need to
check the latest version on the device under App Settings.

Will the new WebView auto-update?

The WebView will auto-update for mobile devices with Android L and above.

For future proofing you app, you can use the Beta WebView to test
versions of the WebView before it's launched.
Checkout this
[Android Developer blog post for more details](http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2015/02/beta-channel-for-android-webview.html).

What does the new WebView mean for developers?

This is a big change from the original WebView as it brings a new set of HTML5
feature support, improved JavaScript performance, and remote debugging of web
content using the Chrome DevTools.

There are some changes that will affect existing apps.

If you are currently using content:// URLs to load files from a content provider
in your application, note that these URLs only work when accessed from local content. That is, web
content hosted outside your application is not allowed to access files built into your application.

There are a small number of other changes that might impact your application. Read the
migration guide for more
information.